Thursday, April 30, 2009

Sunshine State Smoothie

Nothing beats a nice cold drink on a hot day in the Sunshine State.
But...seeing as we are a family of beach bums, some of like to keep our cold drinks healthy so we can continue to shop for cute bikini's every now and again.

Here's a little recipe I threw together one day. No only does it taste really dang great but it is healthy too...with hardly any of those nasty fat grams at all.

OK..here is what you need:

A blender
1 banana
6 strawberries
3/4 cup vanilla non fat yogurt
6 ice cubes
a few scoops of vanilla frozen yogurt {optional but I love it}

Here is what you do..

Toss everything in the blender starting with the ice cubes.
Break down that ice and blend away until well blended.

You'll get something that looks alot like this...





Don't be thinking you can only use bananas and strawberries because as I type this I was fresh out of strawberries so I used a half a can of pineapple chunks, yogurt, ice and frozen yogurt and I gotta tell ya Baby, it is DELISH!!!!!

Have fun smoothing away!!

Love, Kim

PS. Today's post holds another clue to the summertime news. Hehe.... :0)

Wednesday, April 29, 2009

Through The Years

Remember this chubby cheek, tooth missing, silly, goofy kid?



That photo was taken in 2003, a little over a year after we found out about Kody's brain tumor.
He had already gone through brain surgery, a VP Shunt placement, lots of steroids and a whole lot of MRI's by then. Still, he was the most happy go lucky, crazy {still girl lovin'}, beautiful brown eyed kid in the world.

Fast forward to 2009, yesterday as a matter of fact.

Where oh where has my chubby baby faced "Little Bear" gone?



Check it out on On Black!

He's still a big goof, still has those melt your heart brown eyes, is still girl crazy {My Gawd is he and they love him too!!}, he's gone through many more surgeries, tons of MRI's and EEG's, still takes lots of seizure med's that keep him "plugged in", he still has the most awesome personality and an amazingly strong will to survive.
Kody is a fighter, he does not recognize the word "failure" and he perseveres in everything he sets out to do.

He's the best son a Mom and Dad could ever ask for, an awesome brother and uncle, he is a true and loyal friend, he is a protector of one girl in particular, he is always going to be "My Bear", no matter how old he gets.
He is and always will be my "Hero".

But why did he have to grow up into such a man so darn fast?

Take time out to hug your little ones today and everyday because trust me, in the blink of an eye, they grow up and they grow up fast.
No matter how old they get though..tell them you love them everyday. Those three little words mean alot. :0)

Have a beautiful day everyone!!

Love, Kim

PS. LOL..nope Sheila..no Relay this year. The next clue will be here tomorrow morning though. *wink*

Tuesday, April 28, 2009

Tic-Tacs...They Are Not Just For Freshing Your Breath Anymore

They also rock as a bribery tool....



And, at the mere cost of 69 cents I can get the Kolinator to give me about 15 minutes of his time, which is all I ever really need anyway.
The bribery scenario goes a little something like this...

Me pulling out the tic-tacs: Hey Kolin, want these?

Kolin: How do you want me to pose this time?


Yeah..that is one pretty darn goodly trained kid if I must say so myself. :0)

Have a good one today everyone...I am off to slap on the Nikes and do an hour long power walk.
Which, btw...is another hint for the summertime news. *wink*

Love, Kim

Monday, April 27, 2009

Umbrella

Later I'll let you know how I can bribe this kid to do pretty much whatever I need him to do in front of a camera.
Hint..it cost less then a buck. Hehe...



*click image to view larger*

Later Gators..got to go pick that young un' up from school. :0)

~Kim~

The View

I totally, completely 100% "heart" Sunday's. Sunday's around here can only mean one thing, no, two things...
Perfect weather and this view...



Which is exactly what I see on those few occasions when I feel like actually opening my eyes and looking up. :0)

Unfortunately, today is Monday and the only view I'll have is a 4 foot mountain of boys dirty laundry...and trust me, you don't want to see a picture of that. Bleech!!!

Have a totally, completely, 100% perfect day everyone!!

Love, Kim

PS. No babies Sheila...although they make pretty cute props, I sure as heck don't want to own one!! LOL!!!!

Sunday, April 26, 2009

The Great Escape

We are off to the West Coast to escape the sound of motorcycles, police sirens and ambulances. Bikefest has been a crazy weekend and I totally can't wait till tomorrow when our town goes back to it's quiet normal. :0)



Have a great day everyone!!

Love, Kim & The Krew

Saturday, April 25, 2009

FMHTYH Update

Have I been busy? Yeppers..you could sure say that. :0)



Stop by for the newest stuff on "From My Heart To Your Head".

TTYL!!!

Love, Kim

Purple

While most peep's associate the month of July with the colors red, white and blue. Around here, this July is all about the color purple.



Looks Even Prettier On Black

Which is my next hint about the summertime news I told ya'all about last week. :0)

Happy guessing!!

Love, Kim

Friday, April 24, 2009

Time To Break Out The Slow Cookers

With summer right around the corner for most of you and temp's getting well into the mid to upper 80's around these parts..it's that time of year again to break out the slow cookers. I mean, come on...heating up an already hot home is too much to bear, seriously. Oh, and turning on the central A/C which in turn increases the electric bill by $200 bucks just to turn on a hot oven just doesn't appeal to me much at all either.

That is money better spent on shoes and Starbucks, in my opinion anyway. :0)

Today I leave you with a family favorite of ours and I call it...

"Slow Cooker Chili"

Lord only knows, Ia m not really original in my recipe naming.

If your family is like ours and will devour most anything at dinnertime, give it a try. No heating up the kitchen involved..and that is just plain cool. {no pun intended..LOL!}

This is what you will need to buy:

2.5 lbs. hamburger {the cheap stuff works well since you are draining all the nasty fat stuff away}
2-16 oz. cans Kidney Beans {drain them too}
2-14 1/2 oz. cans of diced tomatoes {I use the Italian ones} {don't drain these}
1-8 oz. can of tomato sauce
1 huge onion...chop it chunky
2 green peppers {or yellow or red or all three whatever you like} {chop it chunky}
4-5 garlic cloves chopped up {if your not into garlic use less, we love garlic alot}
Chili Powder
Italian Seasonings {this is optional..I use it cuz I like it}
Fresh Oregano {optional...use only if you want that Italian flavor}
Salt
Freshly ground pepper
Pasta/Rice/Egg Noodles/Whatever you like {Optional..but I like to put my chili over something}
Finely Shredded Cheese {we like Colby Jack but you use what you like best}

OK...now here is what you do, this should take no more then 15-20 minutes tops.

Cook up your hamburger till there is no more pink stuff.
Drain the nasty fat.
While that hamburger is cooking, chop up your veggies and throw all the other ingredients {except the cheese} into a huge bowl then give that a nice stir.
Transfer the meat into the slow cooker.
Drop that bowl of all the rest of the stuff into the slow cooker.
Sprinkle a little extra Chili Powder on top.
Cover and set that bad boy on high for the next 6 hours.

That's it..your dinner is done!

Serve it up, sprinkle some cheese on top and you get something that looks alot like this...



BTW...this recipe will feed about 6 hungry hell raiser hellions.

Now, before I leave today here is a little tip.

Because we have been going healthy these past few months around here, white starchy stuff is a thing of the past. Needless to say, my boys are not liking me much anymore {you should have seen them in the grocery store a few days ago telling the white potato bread how much they missed it..hehe}, although I still let them have their chips once in a while cuz, well..I can't be that mean, right?
So, I did switch to wheat pasta but that seriously did not go over well. Then I found "Barilla Plus" pasta and since it is still colored white, my boys are none the wiser and love it. I toss the box at the bottom of the trash can, they think they are eating "real" pasta and I get the satisfaction of knowing I am pumping their growing bodies full of extra grains, protein and omega three.

Score one for Mom. :0)

Have a great day everyone!!!

Love, Kim

Wednesday, April 22, 2009

Just Hangin' Around

This is what "Wild Man" can be seen doing on any given after school day right in the front yard.
Gotta love the fearless spirit in that kid...



It's getting towards the end of the week and as usual it has been crazy busy around here.
Leesburg is already starting to come to life with bikes rolling in for Bikefest.
Tomorrow ought to be crazier and by Friday it will be all out insane.
I'll try..and that is a big "try" to get some pictures of them rolling into downtown Leesburg's Main Street. If it seems like I am outnumbered by 1000 to 1, I just may have to politely say "The heck with it" and stay home.
I guess the older one gets, the noise just doesn't appeal anymore.
Holy Crap, I think I just called myself "old"!!

Anywhos....not much else going on around here and this family is most definitely heading for bed right now.
So, I will take a minute longer and wish ya'all and great night with lot's of sweet dreams. :0)

Love, Kim

PS. Sheila..that's what true friends are for. We still pray for your peace every single day. Love you my half sister!!

Monday, April 20, 2009

E is for Excellent....H is for Healthy....S is for Stable

And all of that stands for the exact way Kody's MRI was described to us today!!!!!!

On an even happier note, we don't have to bring him back for 6 months, then when that looks great, we can go one year..WAA-HOO!!!

Although we didn't get to see Dr. Gegg today due to him having to preform an emergency surgery, we did see Dr. Olivero who is equally as awesome.
As Dr. O put it...
"Mr. and Mrs. K..if I didn't know any better I would say I was looking at the scans of a very healthy child".
He also told us that every year Kody's scans come out clear lowers the chances of anything every happening again a/k/a tumor recurrence.

Which, in our opinion is the best news we have gotten in a long time and it also free's ourselves up to alot of days spent doing the three things this beach bum family does best on our weekends...

Chillin'......





Playin'......



And Eatin'.....



Yes my friends, once again this weekend we got out of our hometown and escaped to the shore for some very well needed family time. And, since Bikefest is Leesburg this this coming weekend and our town will have more bikes in it then Daytona has ever seen and since we are soooo into quietness, sunshine, dolphins and salty water, you can be sure that they only place you'll find us will be back on the beach with our coolers and our last two remaining youngest kiddo's.
Ahhhh yeah, life in paradise..gotta love it. :0)

Have a beautifully, awesome day everyone!!!

Love, Kim

MRI Day

We are off to Orlando's Arnold Palmer Hospital for Kody's MRI in just a few minutes. I'll update when we get back. Have a great day everyone!
Love, Kim
PS. We see his Neurosurgeon right after to get his shunt reprogrammed and get the results as well. :0)

Sunday, April 19, 2009

Saturday, April 18, 2009

FMHTYH Update

Our lovely model would love to show ya'all what's been keeping me busy these past few days. :0)





Stop on by From My Heart To Your Head to see more.

Have a great night everyone!!

Love, Kim

Friday, April 17, 2009

Two More Days!!

Two more days and this family becomes all day beach bums again..our favorite thing to do on the weekend.
Till then though, there is lots of business to take care of.
And so...the juicy news slowly starts to unfold, cuz ya'all know I just can't come right out and blurt..nope, I gotta take it teasingly slow. Hehe....

Today I have to go to two places and put down some cash in order to make sure they are ours for one day this summer.
In the words of Forest Gump, "That's all I have to say about that". *wink*

Whats a blog without a photo update? Ummm..kind of boring, so here's a few from a few days ago. :0)

Kody...



View On Black





And his sidekick, Kolin....



View On Black

Have a beautiful day everyone!!

Love, Kim

Thursday, April 16, 2009

FMHTYH Update

It's been a long time coming, or should I maybe say long time neglected. But, I am happy to report From My Heart To Your Head has been updated. New stuff today and lots more coming by the time the weekend is over.

Here's a quick peek as our lovely model shows us some cute stuff....




~Kim~

The Boys...For Real And Raw

I keep finding myself photoshopping out the bumps and cuts my two boys always seem to have on their legs. I also find myself way to often smoothing out their skin and aiming for the perfect face look.
A couple days ago I shot a few pics of them together and when I brought them up in ACR, I thought to myself, "What the heck am I doing, they are boys and anyone who is lucky enough to have a couple boys like mine knows the real deal".

So...here you have it, Kody and Kolin in the raw, no PSing to the body parts whatsoever.
After all, why try to take away the fact that these two spend most of their days jumping out of trees and wrestling each other to the ground.



Click Here to View On Black

Have a GREAT day everyone!!!!

I'll be working on the hat site this afternoon..lots of new stuff, FINALLY!! :0)

Love, Kim

Wednesday, April 15, 2009

Happy Birthday Kaysha!

Happy 18th Kaysha!!
I hope that lottery ticket you can now legally buy this morning is a winner!!

All our love,
Mom
Dad
KK
Kayara
Kyle
Kody
Kolin
Adriana
Alona

Tuesday, April 14, 2009

Is It? Could It Really Be? OMG...IT IS!!

My very own ED HARDY purse!!!!!



The big 29 is coming up this weekend and can ya'all believe I only hinted one itty bitty time and since Karlio cannot hold out on a secret, he sprung that beauty on me early.
And, if you think that's big news..oh, I have even bigger news coming soon.
Things are changing...changing for the way better and I can't wait to share it all with you.
But, I think I will just hold out a little while longer. hehe....

Have a great day everyone!
It is a wet, tornado warning day here in Leesburg today. Yuck!

Love, Kim

Monday, April 13, 2009

Out Takes Monday

Every family has one and those who have known us for a while, know that ours is Kolin, our 11 year old, the youngest of our litter of six, our crazy, wild man, attention getting son.
Poor Bear..I swear he didn't stand a chance.

Here's a little background...
Yesterday we woke up too late and never did make it to the beach. No problem, we just tossed our lunch and dinner into the cooler and headed out for the State park instead. Lots of sunshine, nature trails, fishing, places to walk and the best part...a nice private spot that we found behind all the family commotion to put our stuff down and set up for a day of relaxing. It looked like it was a camp site, and it worked out perfectly for us.

Somewhere during the late afternoon as dinner was grilling on the BBQ, shade settled over us and the light was perfect for a few photos.
Seeing as I hadn't taken too much of Kody lately I let him have a go at it first.

Like I said..that kid didn't stand a chance, not with Wild Man hovering in the background.

Here's Kody trying his best to pose and here is Kolin in for the kill, sneaking up behind him...



Mimicking...



Walk like and Egyptian...



Choke hold...



Finally, when I was able to threaten the boy with no dinner he left for about 10 seconds, long enough for me to get this shot..



And then he bounced back and I snapped these two out of like, ohhhhhh 20 or so. Yes, the boy is not not camera shy at all. And as an added bonus for all my photographer friends out there, he is available anytime ya'all should find yourselves in Florida. Take him..PLEASE!!





Have a great day everyone!!

We are headed out to Payless for tennis/skate shoes for the boys. Remind me again, when do they stop growing? LOL!!

Love, Kim

Sunday, April 12, 2009

Happy Easter!!

Happy Easter wishes from all of us to all of you.
Have a beautiful day everyone!!









Love, The K's

Saturday, April 11, 2009

Happy Birthday Baby!



Happy Birthday Dad/G-Pa/Bubby!!!

Love,
Kim
Karyelle
Kayara
Kyle
Kaysha
Kody
Kolin
Alona
Adriana

Friday, April 10, 2009

Sid Vicious

Remember the little, tiny sand crabs I told ya'all about yesterday? Well,they live in these really super small holes in the ground and 100's of them will peek out at one time and them run back inside making catching them pretty much difficult.

However, one got a little too nosy and was promptly caught.

Meet Sid....Sid Vicious.



Not much to look at here, but let's get a better close up, shall we?



Oooohhh, scary little thing, isn't he?
Almost as scary as those hairs growing out of my kids arm. LOL!!

Have an awesome day everyone!!!!

Love, Kim

Thursday, April 9, 2009

Sand Crabbin'

Catching teeny tiny sand crabs...it'll keep them busy for hours.



It keeps me busy too, cuz I swear as much as I tell myself to chill and relax, don't pick up the camera, let them be by themselves....I just can't help it. Something comes over me and I have to sneak up behind them and shoot a few.
That's what memories are made of I guess, right? :0)

Have a beautiful day everyone!!

Love, Kim

Monday, April 6, 2009

Entwined Hearts

"Entwined Hearts
Bound from the start
Eyes locked by love
Never to be broken apart"




~Kim~

Saturday, April 4, 2009

Happy Daze!

For some crazy reason...I am in a GREAT mood today, must be something in the air..love maybe? *wink*





If all goes well, and I really should..we are off to the beach tomorrow. Fun in the sun, walks along the shore, sleeping on a blanket in the sand and eating all day. Now, that sounds like another day in paradise to me. :0)

Have a beautiful weekend everyone!!

Love, Kim

Friday, April 3, 2009

A Pop Of Red

I know I am not the only one who has her kid put this one in 85 degree weather, just for one shot...am I?



OK..maybe I am. :0)

Today is a definite "mental health day". I'll be chillin' at home, clearing the noggin, putting together some hats and hopefully, if the rain goes away, photographing them and putting them up on the web.

Hope your day as relaxing as mine is fixin' to be. :0)

Love, Kim

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